The Exam From Hell
by clarabranson
Summary: Clara Branson is failing her potions class. Severus notices her insufficient handiwork when she performs awfully on her potions exam. He offers to tutor her but will she improve? SSxOC oneshot OOC Severus Snape


_I was sat directly in front of Snapes desk in Potions. At the beginning of the year he'd seated all Gryffindors near the front to keep an eye on them. I was doing a test and was totally stumped by the questions. To put it bluntly, I sucked at Potions. I sat chewing my nails, staring at the test paper trying to remember anything about Sleeping Draught. I gazed around the room hoping it would just come to me. In front of me, Snape was sat glaring.  
"Miss Branson, the answers are not written on the walls! Face the front!"  
I jumped slightly and looked back down at the test paper. As I looked at the questions, the words slowly began merging into unreadable characters. I sighed desperately and dropped my head in my hands. Snape sighed in front of me.  
"Need I remind you, anyone getting less than 80% right will be retaking the test in their own time"  
I was only on question three – out of twenty – and I was pretty sure I'd gotten them wrong. At the table next to mine Hermione was scribbling away furiously before her hand shot up. Snape sighed.  
"Finished?"  
She nodded and held out her paper. He snatched it off her and began marking it. I sneakily tried to look over at her paper; I'd gotten question one wrong. As the lesson drew to and end I'd only gotten up to question seven and was panicking. Snape was pacing around the classroom; I began gazing around the room again.  
"Miss Branson, how many times must you be told?! Face the front!"  
I whimpered silently to myself and looked back at the paper. I felt a presence behind me.  
"Did it ever occur to you that to get 80% you need to do sixteen questions? You haven't done half that! Have you paid attention to anything I've taught this past term?! Stop wasting time and do the test!"  
"I'm trying!"  
The sound of quills scratching on paper stopped, I could tell everyone was looking at me.  
"Trying to what?! Annoy me?! Well congratulations! You have done so! And in doing so have earned yourself a weeks detention! Stay behind...Everyone else stop writing, your time's up. I hope you've used it wisely instead of wasting it daydreaming!"  
I sighed and looked down at the desk, I knew I was in big trouble. Everyone hurried in handing their papers in to Snape and rushing out of the classroom. I hated how Snape always shouted at me, it wasn't my fault anything Potions related went over my head. And as much as I hated to admit it, I had the biggest crush on Snape. He snatched my almost-empty test paper from in front of me, screwed it up and threw it in the bin. Just then I could feel my cheeks burning and my eyes began watering. I wiped the tears away before he noticed.  
"You've had weeks to prepare, everything on that test we covered in class! Did you even bother to study?!"  
I nodded and looked up; "I try sir, I really do, it just doesn't make sense to me"  
"So why don't you tell me you're struggling?"  
I shrugged; "I just assumed you wouldn't help me"  
"Why wouldn't I?"  
"...My test results aren't any of your concern? I'm in Gryffindor?"  
He sighed; "your results are of my concern, I'm your teacher, if you need help, I will, reluctantly, help you...You'll resit this test in a weeks time...In your detentions I'll go over the syllabus with you...Ok?"  
I nodded and wiped my eyes again; quite confused as to why he was suddenly being so nice.  
Over the week I got my private lessons and noticed things were slowly beginning to sink in. Only me and three others had to resit the test. Unlike last time I managed to finish the test.  
"Time's up, if you haven't improved this time you'll be getting detention! Give me your tests and go"  
I was the last to hand it in; he shot me a quick smirk when I passed it to him.  
"It's nice to see you've actually done something this time!"  
I smiled meekly before running off. I was sat with some friends in the courtyard when a Slytherin first year ran over to me.  
"Uh...Clara?"  
I nodded; "yeah?"  
"Professor Snape wants to see you"  
"Ooh, good luck!"  
"We'll miss you!" my friends joked. I sighed and went down to the dungeons to his classroom. He was sat at his desk marking.  
"Uh, Professor? You wanted to see me?"  
He looked up and smirked; "yes, Clara come here"  
I wandered over apprehensively. He held out my test paper.  
"75%...Well done"  
I smiled meekly; "it's not 80 though"  
"75 is better than nothing...You at least improved"  
I nodded; "I guess so"  
He stood up and clasped his hand on my shoulder; "don't be afraid to come to me for help if you need it"  
"Yes Professor"  
I looked up at him, he seemed to almost have a slight smile on his face.  
"Uh...Thanks for the help sir"  
He nodded and squeezed my shoulder softly. For some reason I couldn't move myself.  
"...Is there something you want?"  
"...I don't know"  
He looked at me oddly and went over to a shelf. I stood watching, unable to take my eyes off him. I tried to think of a reason to stay in his presence without looking mental. I looked down at my test paper.  
"Actually sir, this question about Amortentia I was stuck on"  
He came back over and took my test. He looked at it and nodded; "yes; the duration of the effects of a love potion vary depending on such factors as the weight of the person drinking the potion and the attractiveness of the person with whom the potion is supposed to make the drinker obsessed..."  
I nodded and stood next to him looking at my paper; "oh, right..."  
We both looked at each other before suddenly grabbing each other and pulling them into a deep kiss. We made out for a while before I had to leave. Over dinner we shared glances and smirks._


End file.
